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United States Patent | 6,183,605 |
Schatz ,   et al. | February 6, 2001 |
A method and an apparatus are disclosed for sputter deposition of an insulating material on a substrate in a continuous mode of operation. A novel design for an anode assembly and driving power supply is disclosed to permit this. Single or multiple anodes are used, which at any given time may be biased negatively with respect to the plasma, so that any insulating material which may have been deposited thereupon may be sputtered away so as to provide a clean positive anode to the system, and at least for some period of time is biased positively so that it acts as an anode. The removal of any insulating material which may have formed on the anode structure permits its continuing effective use in collecting electrons from the plasma when it is biased positively, and therefore its continuing effective use as an anode for the system, permitting continuous operation of the system.
Inventors: | Schatz; Douglas S. (Fort Collins, CO); Scholl; Richard A. (Fort Collins, CO) |
Assignee: | Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (Fort Collins, CO) |
Appl. No.: | 285353 |
Filed: | April 2, 1999 |
Current U.S. Class: | 204/192.12; 204/298.06; 204/298.08; 204/298.14 |
Intern'l Class: | C23C 014/34 |
Field of Search: | 204/298.06,298.08,298.14,298.03,192.12,192.15,192.22,192.23,192.16,192.13 |
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"A Quasi-direct-current Sputtering Technique For The Deposition of Dielectrics At Enhanced Rates", by G. Este and W.D. Westwood, J.Vac. Sci, Technol. A 6 (3) May/Jun. 1988, .COPYRGT. 1988 American Vacuum Society, pp. 1845-1848. "Pulsed Magnetron Sputter Technology", by S. Schiller, K. Goedicke, J. Reschke, V. Kirchhoff, S. Schneider and F. Milde, Apr. 19-23. 1993, submitted to international Conference On Metallurgical Coatings And Thin Films, ICMCTF93, San Diego, California, pp. 1-24. |